Don’t Drink And Ride

It seems like each day I hear a new story about someone’s life being ruined by drinking and driving. When I hear those stories, it just eats me up inside, so I decided it’s time to share my story with as many people as possible. I decided to write out exactly what happened to me and what my life is like today because of drinking and driving. I’m doing this in the hope that I can help at least one person learn from my mistake. If you are going to party, do it responsibly. Don’t drink and drive! There is nothing uncool about being or using a designated driver.

My accident happened on October 17Th, 1993, at about 3:00am. The partying for me didn’t start on that Saturday night. It actually got started on Friday. I was out partying all night that Friday. I got back to my house about 9:00am. I got just a few hours sleep because I had people coming over to watch the Alabama/Tennessee game. After the game was over, we went back out clubbing. I left that night club at about 2:00am and took some friends home. Instead of going straight home, I went by another club to see if anyone I knew was there.   The last thing I remember was driving through that parking lot. I was about two miles from my house. The road curved, but I went straight. I flipped and totaled my car. I wasn’t wearing a seat belt, and I was thrown in the backseat. If I had been wearing my seatbelt, I might have died. The car landed on the driver’s side, and it was crushed in pretty good. As a result of my accident, I broke my neck. I was left paralyzed from the neck down. I was in the exact same condition that Christopher Reeve was in. I was twenty-one years old, and I had ruined my life.

I wasn’t able to do anything but bend my elbows. I had tongs in my head, and I was on a bed that rotated. I was put on a ventilator. I had a tube shoved down my throat, which is the worst pain I’ve ever experienced, in my life. The doctor told my parents that I had a 50/50 chance of living. He also told them that I would never walk again, be able to sneeze, feed myself, or basically take care of myself. Apparently, God wasn’t listening to the doctor. I spent two weeks in ICU before I was moved to a rehab center in Atlanta. I was there for three and a half months. I spent another six months in outpatient rehab. I had to learn how to do everything again. It was like I was a little kid all over again.

I did regain my ability to walk. My left side did not come back as strong as my right, so I have to wear a knee brace on my left leg. My right hand is about 75% normal, and my left hand is only about 25% normal. I have no feeling of pain or hot and cold below my neck. I can’t even sweat from my neck down. Oddly enough, I do have constant pain throughout my body. It is called neuropathic or phantom pain, and it usually happens in people with incomplete spinal chord injuries like me. The pain is severe and it is non-stop from my neck down. Right now I’m in the process of trying some new types of pain medication that might help, but for now, I just have to deal with it. (You can get an update on my pain situation here.) I also no longer have control over my bowels or bladder. That is the most stressful part of my disabilities. Just the thought that an accident can happen at anytime or anywhere is extremely stressful.

My life is hard because of my disabilities. I am unable to work a normal job outside the home. I know I won’t ever be able to work another eight hour a day job again, but I believe I will be able to find a suitable part time job.(An update on my job status can be found here.) It is hard for me to get out, but I’m learning more and more each day that I can do anything as long as God’s with me. I’ve decided that I’m no longer going to be hopeless or helpless. My future limitations will only be those that I put on myself. I thank God that He has given me a second chance. This time I’m going to get it right!

Despite all the problems I have, I’m happier now than I’ve ever been. That’s saying a lot because before I got hurt I was living my perfect life. I get all my strength and happiness from my faith and belief in Jesus Christ. There is no way I could make it through a day, with all this pain, without Him. I am so thankful for everything I have. I do not get depressed at all about my situation. I realize that my life could be so much worse, so there is no reason to get depressed. There are a lot of healthy people around the world that don’t have what I have, so how can I complain. I just thank God everyday for what he has done for me.

1/11/12 I’ve decided to shut down my website in the next week or two. I want to thank you for taking the time to read my story. I hope it has helped someone make the right choice, when it comes to driving drunk, & even if it onle helped one person, the site was well worth it. I anyone has any thoughts or comments about me shutting the site down, you can post them in my guest book section. Thanks again.

God Bless

Romans 8:18-I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

Romans 12:12-Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.

The song in the video is “Mountain of God,” by Third Day. It describes my situation perfectly.